The Stalker Chronicles by Electa Rome Parks

a blade?”
    â€œMan, that shit is not funny.”
    â€œI’m not laughing. You were the one chained to a hotel bed while she whipped your ass with a mini whip. That’s not cool. That’s demented.”
    I looked at Xavier and tried to maintain a straight face. He stared back, silently daring me to start laughing.
    â€œI arrived at your hotel to rescue your ass, thinking I’m going to have to fight myself out of a bad situation, and there you are, wrapped up in a sheet, looking like black Jesus. And then I see the whelp marks where old girl fucked you up like Kunta Kinte. No, that shit is not funny.” I then proceeded to laugh so hard, my stomach hurt.
    â€œFuck you, man,” Xavier said.
    When I finally recovered, I said, “Xavier, I can laugh at it now because you survived. You survived stronger and wiser.”
    â€œVery true.”
    We pumped fists, then continued to take turns shooting back and forth.
    â€œI ran into Kendall and her new husband.”
    That made me pause. “I bet that shit was awkward as hell. Damn, it couldn’t have been me.”
    â€œTell me about it,” Xavier said.
    â€œSo what’s up? What did she say? Better question, what did you say?”
    â€œOnce I recovered from the shock of seeing her standing there, looking beautiful, I wasn’t sure what to say.”
    I laughed. “Mr. Writer was at a loss for words. That’s a first.”
    â€œI thought she was a figment of my imagination. Man, she took my breath away, and when she leaned in to hug me, I almost forgot old dude was standing there.”
    â€œHugs? I’m surprised she didn’t slap the spit out of your mouth.”
    â€œTo be honest, me, too. I still feel guilty over how our relationship ended, and I still think of her at times.”
    â€œI bet you do. A man always wants what he can’t have, and now that another man is stroking that, well, I’m sure it is killing you to think about what you could have had.”
    â€œI don’t need you to attempt to read my feelings like some amateur psychologist.”
    â€œCall it what you must, but you know it was killing you to see her with mister,” I said as I threw the ball at him.
    â€œDude was staring me down, giving me the once-over.”
    â€œDamn.”
    â€œTried to downplay my profession and give me the virtues of a surgeon.”
    â€œDamn,” I said, biting my balled-up fist. “Ouch.”
    â€œYeah, he was an arrogant son of a bitch. He definitely seemed like the controlling type who would have Kendall on lockdown.”
    â€œMaybe, but that’s not your concern anymore.”
    â€œI realize that, but you don’t know how badly I wanted to kick his pompous ass.”
    â€œMan, who are you talking to? The public gets to see the articulate, poised, well-spoken author. I know the side that can get downright grimy and dirty.”
    â€œDamn straight.”
    â€œHow did this little meeting end?”
    â€œI kept my cool and tried to persuade Kendall to meet me for lunch.”
    â€œIn front of her husband?”
    â€œNo, fool. He had walked off by then to answer a phone call.”
    â€œWhat’s the point of lunch? It’s a done deal, man. Just learn to lie in the bed you made.”
    â€œLike I said, I feel guilty. It’s almost like I need to apologize and right my wrongs from the past before I can move forward.”
    â€œI feel you. However, I honestly don’t know if you’ll ever get that opportunity with Kendall. I always warned you about fucking around on that sweet thing.”
    â€œYou did, but my other head spoke louder while Pilar was whispering in my ear.”
    â€œMy advice is to leave that happily married woman alone and move on with your life. That’s real talk. Anything other than that is asking for trouble.”
    â€œToo late. Kendall looked me up on Facebook, e-mailed my in-box, and we are meeting for